AI for Inclusive Education
During Digital Learning Week (DLW), which was organized by UNESCO and took place in Paris from September 2 to 5, 2025, education experts, decision-makers and practitioners from around the world discussed the opportunities and challenges of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into education systems. The KIX Africa 21 Hub was there.
Research, data and collaboration: essential levers
The discussions highlighted convergent findings: the need to strengthen research, ensure sound ethical frameworks and contextualize solutions to meet the needs of the most vulnerable students.
The various presentations underlined the importance of research and data analysis as a foundation for educational policy. AI is opening up new opportunities, from personalized learning to teacher support and educational planning based on data analysis. However, these innovations can only be credible and sustainable if they are underpinned by evidence and strengthened collaboration among governments, donors, researchers and educational communities.
While it is acknowledged that AI can be a force for positive transformation, vigilance is still a must. AI’s development must be accompanied by informed public policies, clear standards and inclusive participation by all stakeholders.
Objectives and implementation for an AI framework and AI ethics
Local appropriation and contextualization remain essential conditions for AI to make a real contribution to educational equity and inclusion.
For KIX Africa 21’s French- and Portuguese-speaking African countries, the following objectives have been set:
- Set up national technical teams to develop AI skills repositories;
- Train the national technical teams on the integration and use of AI in education systems;
- Assess the integration and use of AI in the education systems in the pilot countries identified;
- Develop an AI skills repository;
- Implement training plans;
- Translate digital resources into national languages.
The implementation of these objectives follows a three-phase process that began in September 2025. Initially, pilot countries were identified for the AI skills repositories review, namely Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. Further to this process, we will be scaling up the project by sharing our experience with other KIX Africa 21 partner countries, launching an advocacy campaign in them to promote the need for institutional frameworks that regulate the ethical use of educational AI, and defining a roadmap for the widespread replication of the pilot experiment. Lastly, the project will be monitored and improved through regular situational assessments, along with defining and applying any adjustment measures required.
Regional and international perspectives
Local initiatives presented at the Digital Learning Week session, “Regional perspectives on AI in education: inclusion, policy and local innovation,” demonstrated the potential of AI and digital technology to address educational challenges around the world. In Southeast Asia, some countries are developing solutions adapted to the learning needs of students with special needs; in French-speaking Africa, innovative projects led by the private sector, such as the one in Burkina Faso, are enabling displaced children to access distance education despite crisis situations; in Europe, standards are beginning to emerge to govern the development and use of educational AI tools.
The experts reiterated that the problem is not the tool itself, but the way it is designed and managed. The need to involve teachers, parents, communities and governments in the management of AI systems was strongly emphasized. Eunice Smith, Head of the UNESCO Office in and UNESCO Representative to Namibia, and session moderator and analyst, emphasized the following points in the sharing of experiences:
“AI is so powerful that it can adapt to different needs. The problem is not the tool; the problem is not AI. The problem is managing it properly. If we don’t give companies an ethical objective, they won’t bother with it. It’s our responsibility to ask questions, to find answers: we have to insist on the standards we want and what we want to do with this technology.”
To address this issue, Dr. Maïmouna Sissoko-Touré gave a reminder of the prospects for the integration of AI into education systems, which is supported by the KIX Africa 21 Hub:
- Integrating AI into national policies with a human and inclusive vision
- Developing AI skills for students and teachers
- Pursuing South-South cooperation and sharing best practices
- Involving educational communities, researchers, ministries and partners in a collective approach
- Support for emerging AI research and educational innovations
What came out of these exchanges was that the need to work toward fair, ethical and inclusive integration into education systems is more crucial than ever.
Watch the videos of the plenary sessions here!
